A three-question exercise to discuss potential areas in a value stream that are suffering from waterfall-like elements.

1. The TLC Scale
Chasing waterfalls...
Serious ScrumPaddy Corry,

2. Paddy Corry, Serious Scrum
T-Shaped
How cross-functional are we all?
Large Batches
How batched and queued are we all?
Collaboration
Am I done or are we all done?

3. Effective Value Streams
Get value to customers faster
Through collaboration, focus and learning
Collaborate on small batches
Deliver highest value first
Start with
Idea Generation
Deliver Value
to Customers

4. Waterfalls Drain Value
Weakening Value Streams,
Slowing them down and Adding risk
Less Value!
Less Feedback!
Higher Risk!
Functional
Teams
Too Busy to
Focus
"That's their
problem"

5. Let's go chasing waterfalls!
Rate where you think your your value stream
is for these 3 questions...

6. T-Shaped
How cross-functional are we all?
People mostly specialise
Teams are generally functionally siloed
only scrum teams are cross-functional
0 1 2 3
T-shaped people do what is needed
Teams are cross-functional
Every team aims for cross-functionality

7. Large Batches
How batched and queued are we all?
Some teams hand over large batches
WIP limits not applied, multitasking common
'Stage gates' invoked, work often 'rejected'
All teams work in short iterations
WIP limits applied to improve flow
Teams collaborate to progress work
0 1 2 3

8. Collaboration
Am I done or are we all done?
Work is handed off to 'delivery teams'
Scrum teams focus on separate tasks
more to do after scrum teams 'deliver'
Cross-functional teams make value flow
Scrum teams swarm on customer value
'Done' means ready for the customer
0 1 2 3

9. Now...
Add up the answers to the 3 questions
And let's see where you are...

10. The TLC Scale
Task Completion > Customer Value
Silos, stage gates > collaboration
Utilisation > Focus
Customer Value > Task Completion
Collaboration > Silos, Stage Gates
Focus > Utilisation
0 3 6 9

11. The TLC Scale
Every organisation is chasing waterfalls! :)
With the answers to these 3 questions,
what will you do next?
Serious ScrumPaddy Corry,